Monday

Oct 8, 2018 at 8:54 PMOct 17, 2018 at 2:52 PM

Brady Tkachuk officially joined the family business Monday at TD Garden.

The son of Medford native Keith Tkachuk, and younger brother of Calgary Flames forward Matthew, Brady made his National Hockey League debut with the Ottawa Senators, as they faced off against the Boston Bruins on Oct. 8.

Playing in front of the sellout crowd of 17,565, including over 70 friends and family, the rookie forward had no problem getting his nose dirty in a tough 6-3 loss.

“It was fast-paced,” Brady said. “It was a fun game. I wish we had a better outcome but it was a pretty special experience.”

After sitting out the Senators first three games nursing a lower body injury, the former Boston University Terrier was anxious to return to the lineup. He had this game circled on his calendar for quite some time.

“I would have liked to have gotten two points and cap the night off (with a win), but we battled,” said Brady, 19. “We all shot, but we just couldn’t buy one, so we’re going to worry about the next game and put it behind us.”

A 6-foot-3, 196-pound left winger, Brady Tkachuk led the Senators out onto the ice for pregame warm-up, taking the first twirl around the ice on his own, before being joined by his teammates. It was a nice moment for the winger, whose family roots are still firmly imbedded in Medford, Boston and beyond.

“It was cool because I’ve got a lot of ties to this rink,” Brady said. “But we would’ve liked to have had a different outcome.”

Playing a matinee game may have helped ease any pregame jitters for the young forward.

“I slept pretty good last night,” Brady said. “It helped that it was an early game today, just wake up, eat, and come to the rink. Not much thinking, got pretty nervous before, but once the game got going it was pretty easy.”

The pregame warm-up ended with a nifty game-within-the-game moment, as Brady swatted away a shot from Bruins winger David Pastrnak that was headed into the Senators open net.

The rugged winger would introduce himself to members of the Black and Gold a little later, checking both Andres Bjork and Noel Accari within his first three shifts of action.

He continued to show plenty of that patented Tkachuk snarl after cross-checking Bruins defenseman John Moore during a second period scrum, before lining up Bruins blue liner Brandon Carlo with a thunderous hit later in the stanza.

Throughout it all, Brady also displayed his family’s nose for the net, camping in front of his father’s spot, while screening goalie Tuukka Rask on a deflection.

But in the end, it was the Bruins who would have final say. Patrice Bergeron netted the hat trick, while Pastrnak potted a pair, including the empty-netter to seal the 6-3 victory.

The regular season game was a stark contrast to preseason play.

“It was a big difference,” said Brady. “Not playing for a bit, the legs were pretty heavy. I just tried getting that out of my head. It was a tough game, but we are going to focus on the next one.”

Ottawa’s first pick (fourth overall) in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Brady certainly showed the characteristics that made him a blue chip prospect.

“I thought he was good,” said Ottawa Senators Head Coach Guy Boucher. “(Brady) played hard. It was exactly what I was expecting in his first game. He’s not just big, but he’s feisty and smart. I think we saw some of that tonight.”

Taking in all the action from the stands was Brady’s dad, Keith, and his family.

“Big Walt” was beaming with pride following the game.

“It’s pretty exciting,” said Keith. “This is something that (Brady) has lived for and dreamed about doing since he was a little kid playing in the National Hockey League. Unfortunately, he didn’t get the win, but that’s a great team and a great building. I’m sure he’s glad to get that one under his belt, get his legs underneath him and go from there.”

Keith and his wife Chantal had been playing the waiting game along with their son, travelling to Ottawa for the Senators first two games, before bolting to Toronto over the weekend, only to see him scratched from the lineup.

“It was tough,” Keith said. “We did a lot of travelling, so we were everywhere. Unfortunately his groin injury kept him out, and they wanted to be cautious about it, which I understand being a young guy. It took some time for him to feel 100 percent after some practices.”

But it was extra special to see his son begin his NHL career in his father’s own backyard.

“For me growing up here, and obviously having friends and family here, and him playing college hockey at Boston University, I think it was great for him to get back here and play in front of family and friends,” Keith said.

An NHL All-Star, Keith Tkachuk enjoyed a lengthy 19-year career from 1991-2010, playing for the original Winnipeg Jets, and then the Phoenix Coyotes, Atlanta Thrashers and St. Louis Blues. The rugged leftwing netted 538 goals and accounted for 1,065 points in 1,201 NHL games.

These days he’s content to be a bona fide NHL hockey dad.

“It’s pretty good, but it’s a little more stressful,” Keith said. “It was easier playing hockey. You go out and do what you do best – You play. When you have your children out there, you feel pretty nervous about it. Hopefully, it will get less stressful in the upcoming days and weeks ahead.”

“I’m just very proud of my son to go out there and compete against some of the best players in the world,” he added.

Bruins forward David Backes is pretty familiar with the Tkachuk family. He broke into the NHL with Keith while playing for the St. Louis Blues from 2006-2010, and knew both Matthew and Brady since they were toddlers.

“I use to make them cry playing floor hockey back in the day, and now they’re playing in the NHL,” Backes said. “It’s pretty surreal.

“The old man obviously mentored me when I was a first-year player in the league,” he added. “He’s got the boys now coming up, and now you see that same sort of mentality that he emphasizes. You’re either the predator or the prey out there, and you need to be attacking.”

Although Brady was held off the scoreboard, he still made quite an impression.

“Brady crunched some guys, pushing in front of the net and getting in some scrums,” Backes said. “He’s another young kid with high-level of skill that’s willing to get to those dirty areas. The future looks bright for him.”

Backes also had the opportunity to congratulate the winger on his NHL achievement, while lining up alongside him for a faceoff.